Page 24 - July2019 FOP Magazine

Portraits by Peter Bucks
Tributes to officers from the CPD Officer, Lodge 7 member and renowned artist
‘A team that’s more like family’
■ BY AMBER RAMUNDO
LaTonia Foster learned early on what it means to be a part of a team.
It all started at Marshall High School, where a sport she was told to play because of her height became the game she fell in love with.
She played for the leg- endary Dorothy Gaters, a member of the National High School Hall of Fame. After leading the team to the 1989 Class AA State Cham- pionship, Foster was named Ms. Basketball Illinois, the top high school player in the state.
She then played power forward and center for the University of Iowa under another legend and hall of famer, coach Vivian Stringer.
Foster’s skill on the court
became her trademark, but
the young athlete remained
diligent in her studies,
thinking that one day she’d
have to put down the ball to
find a job outside of the hoops dream she was living.
FOSTER
Star #9823
“I enjoyed being the police even more than I thought I would,” Foster explains. “I wanted anoth- er job where I was helping people.”
After spending her first year on the job in the Sec- ond District, Foster was transferred to 015. She felt right at home serving on the West Side, where she grew up, and the commu- nity was glad to have a fa- miliar face patrolling their neighborhoods.
“Some people from my generation recognize me from basketball,” Foster muses. “They like seeing a familiar face, someone that’s from their neighbor- hood who can sympathize and empathize with what they’re going through.”
Understanding the hard- ships of living in a tough neighborhood became one of Foster’s strengths on the job. Acknowledging the
LATONIA
“When I first started playing basketball, I didn’t dream about playing professionally because I didn’t even know wom- en could play professionally,” Foster recalls. “Most of my life had been about basketball because that’s what I was good at.”
In 1997, Foster’s passion became her job when she was drafted into the WNBA, playing for the Phoenix Mercury. She traveled the world with her team, meeting scores of people along the way. The team even made it to the championship in 1998.
At no point during her basketball career did Foster consider that she would one day be part of a different type of team — one that was not driven by a scoreboard.
“Becoming law enforcement was not even in my vocabulary,” she admits. “I didn’t want to become the police when I was young- er.”
In 2001, Foster traded in her Air Jordans for a grade book, as she began a new career in the classroom as a fifth-grade teacher.
Six years later, Foster’s old teammates convinced her to take the police entry exam. And on Dec. 18, 2006, the basketball icon from the West Side joined the Chicago Police Department.
24 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2019
reputation that law enforcement has been given by the media, she has made it her mission to create more positive
bonds with the community.
“I want to put [officers] in a good light any time I come in con-
tact with people,” Foster shares. “I want to help citizens see that we’re out here to help.”
Foster’s team mentality continues to thrive on the job, where she often encounters residents in the 15th District who share their appreciation for law enforcement.
Although working as a WNBA player, teacher and cop may seem like three different fields, a common thread connects them for Foster. Each position allows her to give others the opportunity to score — in a game, on a test, in life.
But she’s not finished yet. Today, Foster is working on earning her doctorate degree in education leadership. “I hate being idle,” Foster insists. “I’m always molding my mindset to be better and work harder.”
For now, Foster continues to serve her city alongside other all- star officers who make up a team and something more. “A team is always more like a family,” Foster clarifies. “We look out for each other.”